Game-based learning environments can foster student engagement in learning, offering an important venue for exploring epistemic emotions. Data from this study were collected as part of a larger effort to develop an in-game self-reporting tool for epistemic emotion that could be applied in a wide range of venues, including computer science systems. This study examines how students retrospectively discuss such emotions and experiences, and the degree to which their concerns about the reporting tool align with their learning needs. Here, we report thematic findings from focus groups that have implications for understanding both the development and interpretation of in-game self-reporting tools.